The 2023 SEEK Conference was amazing. 17,000 people attended Mass, adoration, confession, and conversated about God. There were thousands of people in religious orders to speak with, podcasts, beautiful catholic artwork, and plenty of catholic shopping to get done. A few highlights of the trip included the celebration of Mass, the daily men’s talks, daily adoration, and new friends.
There was something really amazing about the daily masses at SEEK. With a longer communion (seeing as there were 17,000 people), there was much more time to sing our praises to God and to reflect on the peace which Christ was offering to us in the Eucharist. This time was spent kneeling on concrete because there were no pews. After a few minutes, there would be great discomfort, but when looking around, you would see thousands of other Christians offering it as a sacrifice to God. The energy was incredible. Each homily was given by a Bishop and was very well put together. These homilies were usually the highlight of my day. They inspired me and gave me something to reflect on throughout adoration and in conversation with peers.
Every morning, we would attend Mass early. Shortly after, there were men’s and women’s specific talks. These were powerful and greatly inspiring. The speakers included Monsignor Shae, Matt Fradd, and Fr. Agustino Torrez. Their talks were focused on overcoming the lies of the devil, the role of strong men in society, and inspiring hope and strength within the audience. These talks were full of shouting but also had their moments of somber silence. In addition to contemplating the homilies at Mass, these talks called my attention for many days after.
Daily adoration was incredibly powerful. I spent a few hours each day, contemplating scripture, praying rosaries, and simply meditating in the presence of Christ. This time in adoration was very new to me. I had been to adoration a few times, but they were generally short and never consistent. I had also never been to adoration with hundreds, or even thousands of people at once. Placing myself in front of the Blessed Sacrament for a few hours, 5 days in a row was enlightening. I found great peace, love, and holiness there.
I came out of SEEK with strengthened friendships, new friendships, and a renewed desire to share my love of God with others. Along the trip, we would occasionally sit down with each other and ask deeply theological questions. Through sharing our experiences, we could now see new perspectives and find new hope in our walks to heaven. On our bus ride home, we shared our highlights with each other and spoke about where Jesus was in our lives. The answers were beautiful. It is a very comforting feeling to hear honest answers about where people are in their walk with Christ.
Overall, SEEK was amazing. It is very hard to summarize such a great trip (although it was only 5 days). I found myself falling in love with saints I had never met, renewed my joy for the Mass, and gained an appreciation for adoration. I am hopeful that I will retain at least some of the wisdom that was poured out by these amazing speakers, and I am very thankful to have new friends to walk with me towards God.